No Picnic (144)
What if all the symbols of our patriotism reflected the true state of our country and its culture?
(Made in collaboration with Ross Lee)
Made in the U.S.A
God’s Gift
This piece was made in solidarity for Pride, following the most lethal mass shooting in our country, at a gay club in Florida. My collaborator Ross Lee and I rolled joints in homophobic bible verses, filling them with a strain of cannabis called “God’s Gift.” We handed them out at Pride, capturing images of people burning the text that fundamentalists use to try to deny them their rights. Each portrait is named after the bible verse its subjects chose to smoke, taken as we watched it go up in flame.
Thoughts and Prayers
The Stench of Patriotism
Isaiah
In removing a flag from its pole, one discovers how much it resembles a spear. My collaborator and I were interested in transforming a familiar object from a symbol of violence into a symbol of nourishment.
When the piece took its final form, my collaborator was reminded of a bible verse that calls for such transformation:
“He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” – Isaiah 2:4
(Made in collaboration with Ross Lee)